LiberAmoris

After enjoying Cathedral so immensely, I was pleased to find that Anne Bonny is a ‘sister-scent’ with the same incensy-resins and sweet wood notes. With my chemistry, Anne Bonny is a touch sweeter on the skin, almost like Cathedral dipped in honey. Piratey, deck-swabbing goodness. Like the scent of wood planks mingling with an open cask of rum.

If there was ever a fragrance to capture the hearts of lapsed Catholics, this is the one. As others have noted, it smells just like the swinging sensers used in special Masses. My BF was raised Catholic and later defected, but when I dabbed a bit of this behind my ears he perked up like he was about to receive the host. For me, it connotes less religiousness and smells more of polished wood, incense resins and the delightful reed-y quality of water damage on old books. (I realize I may be alone in treasuring the scent of water damage on books.) There’s a natural sweetness to Cathedral that’s also tremendously relaxing and meditative. I plan on keeping some Cathedral on hand for when I need to tap into that kind of drowsy, ‘pax vobiscum’ atmosphere.

The first time I wore Spellbound, I was unconvinced of its power. I had just emptied half an imp of Persephone on my person, and I think in that context, Spellbound seemed less potent, with a shorter ‘reach.’ However, I tried it again yesterday and DEAR LORD, it’s incredible. I’m not a huge roses fan, but this smells to me like roses in a voodoo shop. I used to live in New Orleans, so this is not an idle metaphor. The rosiness is perfectly counterbalanced with the amber and musk, and the result is a well-socialized blend that can speak to anyone in the room. When I wear this I can almost see the proverbial wafts of scent beckoning forth in undulating arms and pulling others towards me. To me it didn't smell Old Lady-ish. But maybe if the old lady in question had lived the full, rich life of a libertine!

I was very excited about Eidolon, as it is one of my favorite words. It started off with a strong blast of lemon which within minutes had softened to include the wood notes. It then moved into a surprisingly lovely candle-like scent, by which I mean it actually smelled like hot wax and flame. The smell was so picturesque that my mind actually conjured up the image of writing by candlelight. Eidolon disappeared quickly on my skin, and I’m not sure I would purchase another imp of it, but I will use up the imp I’ve got.

Beautiful, radiant daughter of Demeter... her loveliness was so exquisite that even Hell itself could not resist her. Pomegranate and rose. When I first smelled this on my skin, I got the same nail polish remover scent that others have noted. However, after that initial swath, it was all roses and pomegranate. I concur with the adjectival leaning towards ‘juicy’…it was almost like nectar. Citrusy and rosy and pithy, with just enough rind to keep it from being too simple. In short, it’s very pretty, and perfect for the myth. It really captures that balance between the earthly rose and unearthly pomegranate, and manages to divide its attention equally between both notes, as Persephone divided her time equally between worlds. I’ll need to order a big bottle of this for those days when I feel similarly complicated. ETA: I got my big bottle. I applied it this morning at 9AM and it's still going strong at 6PM. This one lasts and lasts!

Velvet manages to be jaw-droppingly sexy, comforting, and delicious all at once. I can detect both the sandalwood and the vanilla, but they’re so well-blended that they seem less like individual notes and more like one note drawn from some heretofore undiscovered tree in Elysium. There’s a drop of cocoa but it’s more fabulous than foody, like chocolate with a case of cognitive dissonance. I wore this today as I was running errands up and down NYC’s Broadway, and even amidst the various and overpowering scents of the city, I could still smell a halo of Velvet around me whenever I stopped walking for a moment to wait for the light to change. If Velvet had a soundtrack, it would definitely include Björk’s Hidden Place from her Vespertine album. This is big bottle material.